Episode 1508 (23 September 1997)
Synopsis The Fowlers and Beales continue their visit in Kilmoneen. That morning, Ian goes to get some things from the back of the vanette and finds a stranger has spent the night there. Ian demands to know what he is doing in his car. The stranger turns out to be Conor, who had chatted with Ruth the day before, and he corrects Ian that it wasn't "his" car but a hire car and explains that he arrived too late to find anywhere else to spend the night and found the vehicle open. Ian rants on and Conor gets around him by offering money for the use of it. Then he offers to buy him a drink and Ian says "WHAT?... at ten in the morning?" Conor tells him he meant a coffee. Pauline's long lost sister, Maggie, has invited her to bring her family to tea so she and Mark set off for the Flaherty house in a taxi with the rest to follow later in the vanette. The old man, Sean, is nasty to Pauline as usual and sets off on foot to the town pub as soon as they arrive. Maggie's daughter-in-law, Brenda, sits staring at the telly and says there is no bread for tea since she's let her son feed it to the ducks. Mary volunteers to go the town to get some and invites Mark to go with her. He says "OK" and she runs off to get the "wheels", coming back with two rickety old bicycles. Mary and Mark get off to a friendly start, with Mary telling him all about her plans and her relatives. She says her granddad was drunk more times than sober, her Uncle Eamonn needed a lobotomy, her Uncle John looks like he’s already had one and her Aunt Brenda needed a bath. She tells him she has to share a room with her five cousins as well. Her plans include being the first in the family to go to university and coming to London when she’s saved up enough money, most of all; her plan is to get away from home as soon as possible and travel. She asks if he has a job in London as she's heard so many are unemployed, and he tells her about the family veg stall. Mary and Mark set out for town on the bikes and as they are coming out of the General Store/Newsagent, Gerry McKrell stops her for a private word. He tells her that he is leaving his wife so they can be together. She tells him it is all over for them and if Sean finds out she's been seeing him, her life won't be worth living and he'll be killed. Patrick, the innkeeper, walks by and can't avoid overhearing the conversation, since Mary is shouting her refusal at Gerry by this time. On the bike ride home, Mary is giving Mark tips on bike riding. Just as she tells him to watch out for potholes, he hits one and takes a spill into the bushes. He gets a nasty gash on his hand and she rushes to "kiss it better". She is startled when he roughly draws away. Seeing that he has shocked her, Mark apologetically tells her that he is HIV+. Mary is flattered that he has told her such personal information and in return confides in him about Gerry, the married man she's been seeing. Ian, Ruth, Martin and Lucy arrive for tea before Mary and Mark return. Conor arrives to see his mum and offers to go and get some fresh fish for their tea. He asks Ruth to go with him. She is busy getting joined at the breast with Lucy and Ian agrees to Lucy going with them. By the time they get there, all the days catch has been sold. Conor talks Mr Finn into loaning out his boat so he can go out and catch some. Meanwhile, the local priest gives drunken Sean a ride home. As soon as he stumbles in the house, he gets into a brief argument with Pauline, whom he refers to as "blondie" before falling asleep. It is getting late and Brenda complains that there is no-one to pick up Eamonn Junior from choir practice. Her daughter, Colette, eagerly volunteers to do it. Brenda objects that she is too young to set out alone and Martin quickly says he'll go with her. By now, Brenda's attention is back to the telly and says nothing, so Martin and Colette set out for the church. They arrive early and sit listening to the boys choir sing when Martin turns to face her. They kiss on the lips and smile sweetly at each other. When Conor, Ruth and Lucy haven't returned by nightfall, Mark and Ian go looking for them in the vanette. They arrive just in time to see the rescue teams putting their boats in the water to search for Mr. Finn's missing boat. Credits Main cast *Ian Beale - Adam Woodyatt *Lucy Beale - Casey Anne Rothery *Conor Flaherty - Seán Gleeson *Pauline Fowler - Wendy Richard *Maggie Flaherty - Olivia Shanley *Mark Fowler - Todd Carty *Mary Flaherty - Melanie Clark Pullen *Brenda Flaherty - Janet Behan *Martin Fowler - James Alexandrou *Colette Flaherty - Shiona Redmond *Eamonn Flaherty - Maurice O'Donoghue *Sean Flaherty - Pat Laffan *Flynn - Noel O'Donovan *Gerry - Simon O'Gorman Category:Episode Category:1997 Episodes Category:Episodes shot entirely on location Category:Complaints